New Delhi: Starting Friday, non-commercial private vehicle drivers will be able to enjoy a seamless ride across national highways, with the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways’ decision to introduce an annual toll pass priced at Rs 3,000 coming into force.
The pass will get activated on the existing FASTag and will be valid for a year from the date of activation or up to 200 trips, whichever comes first. Each crossing of a national highway toll plaza will count as one trip. A round trip will count as two trips.
Currently, a private car owner needs to cough up at least Rs 10,000 a year for 200 trips. Now, this will come down to Rs 3,000. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) began accepting applications for annual passes from mid-July.
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari announced the decision on 18 June. Taking to the social media platform ‘X’, Gadkari had called it a transformative step towards hassle-free highway travel.
The annual pass will not only enable seamless and cost-effective travel across National Highways throughout the country but will also reduce congestion at toll plazas. A dedicated link for its activation and renewal will soon be available on the Rajmarg Yatra App as well as on the official websites of NHAI and MoRTH.
The annual pass, however, will not apply to state highway toll plazas. Users can still pay at state and other toll plazas through their FASTag, but money will get deducted from the annual pass account only at national highway toll plazas.
FASTag, an electronic toll collection system affixed to the vehicle windscreen, uses radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, deducting the toll directly from the prepaid or savings account linked to it, without requiring the driver to stop for transactions at the toll gate.
Currently, only monthly passes are issued at Rs 340 to frequent local commuters for crossing a single toll plaza.
Earlier, Gadkari also said that the policy addresses long-standing concerns regarding toll plazas, located within a 60-kilometre range. According to the National Highways Fee Rules, 2008, the distance between two toll plazas is 60 km. “As of now, the average cost of crossing a single toll plaza varies anywhere between Rs 50 and Rs 100. This will come down to Rs 15 now,” Gadkari said in a video statement issued by the road ministry.
“By reducing wait times, easing congestion, and minimising disputes at toll plazas, the annual pass aims to deliver a faster and smoother travel experience for millions of private vehicle owners,” he added.
A FAQ issued by the Union Road Ministry said that after verifying the eligibility of the vehicle and the associated FASTag, the annual pass will get activated. “Upon successful verification, the user must make a payment of Rs 3,000 for the base year 2025-26 through the Rajmargyatra mobile application or NHAI website,” stated the FAQ.
The Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry has mulled the introduction of annual passes for some time now. Earlier, it also planned to introduce distance-based toll charges, but no decision has been taken on that yet.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)